Latest News

New York Times Praises Jen Shyu’s Live Performance

Pi Recordings artist, Jen Shyu, has been included in The New York Times January in Live Jazz: 5 Standout Shows. Her recent performance at The Jazz Gallery, combining storytelling, audience participation, and singing, is said to have “turned the stage into a space of imaginative ritual.”

Shyu’s recent release, Song of Silver Geese, was also mentioned by The New York Times as one of the best albums of 2017, in addition to earning rave reviews from Downbeat Magazine. Jen Shyu will be performing across the US as a part of her SOWN / SEWN 50-State Tour, which begins February 2nd at Music Mansion in Providence, Rhode Island. We hope to see you there!

New York Times Best of 2017

Two of Pi Recordings’ 2017 releases have been included in The New York Times Best Albums of 2017, Tyshawn Sorey’s Verisimilitude and Jen Shyu’s Song of Silver Geese. Song of Silver Geese was also received a rave 4.5 star review in the most recent issue of DownBeat.

Finlayson in the News, Lehman and Threadgill at Big Ears and New Vinyl for Sale

Last week, Jonathan Finlaysons album Moving Still was featured on All About Jazz. The review calls Finlayson an In demand trumpeter who is laying a foundation of top-tier groundwork in recordings with Steve Coleman on all of the uncompromising composer’s Five Elements albums since 2002.

His expertise at creating atmosphere through texture and color gives each of the pieces on Moving Still a bold, energetic feel without being exaggerated. – Karl Ackermann at AllAboutJazz.com

In festival news, Steve Lehman and Henry Threadgill have been booked to perform at The Big Ears festival 2017 in Knoxville, TN.

Finally, Henry Threadgills Pulitzer Prize winning “In for a Penny, In for a Pound” is available on 2LP vinyl. It is in stock and ready to ship!

Jen Shyu and Steve Coleman at the Stone

For our listeners in New York City, Jen Shyu is finishing up her run at The Stone with a different group of musicians each night. She will be performing every night through August 14th with sets at 8 and 10pm.

Also, starting on August 30th Steve Coleman will be celebrating his 60th birthday with a month of performances at the Stone. He will be playing in multiple groups, with a high potential for new music.

More Press for The Inner Spectrum of Variables

“This is an astonishing, indefinable work that drags jazz and modern composition into an entirely new realm.”-The Wire

“The Inner Spectrum Of Variables is a hugely impressive and often moving work, establishing Sorey as a worthy heir to creative composers like Anthony Braxton and Henry Threadgill”-The Quietus

“This is one of those rare releases where one can say with confidence that something new and exciting is taking place. Sorey is fast becoming one of the most intriguing musicians and composers of his generation, and if this music is any indication, it signals the opportunity for more creative work to be done in bringing the worlds of classical and improvised music into closer contact.”-Free Jazz Blog

Tyshawn Sorey will be premiering a new work for his Alloy Trio at The Newport Jazz Festival on July 29th. We hope to see you there.

Recent Press for Henry Threadgill

“It’s all too much to think about, except for the fact that it’s not. Threadgill’s masterful blend of the independent and interdependent is alive and well in Old Locks and Irregular Verbs.”-All About Jazz

“Henry Threadgill may be in his early 70s, but he continues to make music that sounds like no one else. Even when he branches out and doesn’t quite sound like himself, he remains inimitable to a startling degree.”-PopMatters

New Release From Tyshawn Sorey

“The lyrical intricacies central to the suite are frequently intermingling their attributes as living entities would do in such close proximity. There is a spontaneity and natural flow in the mix of components that make up The Inner Spectrum of Variables and they belie the complexity and scope of Sorey’s vision; it is the vision of a modern master.”-All About Jazz